Linda Thompson (actress)
| birth_place = Memphis, Tennessee, U.S. | othername = Linda Jenner Linda Foster | occupation = Actress, lyricist | yearsactive = 1976–present | partner = Elvis Presley (1972-1976) | spouse = | children = Brandon Jenner Brody Jenner }} Linda Diane Thompson (born May 23, 1950) is an American songwriter/lyricist, former actress and beauty pageant winner; but she is perhaps best known as a cast member of Hee Haw as one of the "Hee Haw Honeys." She was a longtime girlfriend of Elvis Presley before marrying Olympic decathlon champion Bruce Jenner, and David Foster, musician, record producer, composer, songwriter and arranger. Early life Thompson was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, the daughter of Margie (née White) and Sanford Abel Thompson.Info re parents, legacy.com; accessed March 25, 2015. Her older brother, Sam, was one of Elvis Presley's bodyguards.Elvis Presley profile, reviewjournal.com; accessed March 25, 2015. Career Pageants and Eva James Jenner at the Paramount Ranch in October 12, 2019]] Thompson was Miss Shelby County (1969) In September 1970, she was named "Miss Mid-South Fair" in Memphis.Memphis Commercial Appeal, "Mid-South Memories", September 8, 2010. Some of her other titles are, "Miss Liberty Bowl", "Memphis State's Golf Queen", "Miss Okra" (Bells, Tennessee), and MSU's Homecoming Court. In 1970, Thompson was named "Miss Memphis State University" and was third runner-up in the 1970 Miss Tennessee pageant (which is the state preliminary to the Miss America pageant). Thompson was Miss Tennessee Universe in 1972,http://www.misstennesseeusa.com/halloffame.html which is also known as Miss Tennessee USA and under the Miss USA and Miss Universe umbrella: }} Jeanne LeMay Dumas, Thompson's best friend, recounts this first meeting with Elvis in an interview for her book, ''Elvis, Linda and Me[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1251863.Elvis_Linda_Me Elvis, Linda and Me], goodreads.com; accessed March 25, 2015." and later became Elvis' personal secretary.Interview with Dumas, elvisinfonet.com; accessed March 25, 2015. Dumas said: Acting In 1977, Thompson became a regular on the television series Hee Haw. She later had small one-episode roles in such television series as CHiPs, Starsky & Hutch, Vega$, Fantasy Island, The Fall Guy and Beverly Hills, 90210. Thompson starred in several television pilots, including "Mars Base One" and "Two for Two". She appeared in several films, including Rabbit Test (1978) and Original Intent (1991). She had a small role in The Bodyguard (1992). She appeared as Linda Jenner in a workout video by then-husband Bruce Jenner (now known as Caitlyn Jenner), four documentaries about Elvis Presley between 1997 and 2004, and in the short-lived Princes of Malibu, a reality series about then-husband David Foster's efforts to improve her two sons and herself. Songwriting She began her career as a lyricist with the Kenny Rogers single "Our Perfect Song" from his album The Heart of the Matter (1985). Thompson collaborated with composer Richard Marx on Josh Groban's first hit record, "To Where You Are", with composer Steve Dorff on the Celine Dion hit "Miracle", with Andreas Carlsson for "Drowning" by the Backstreet Boys, and composer David Foster on several compositions, including "No Explanation" for the film Pretty Woman (1990), and "I Have Nothing" for the film The Bodyguard (1992), for which they were nominated both for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1993https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0860419/awards and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television in 1994, and "Grown-Up Christmas List". In 1999, Linda Thompson, Clint Eastwood and Carole Bayer Sager wrote "Why Should I Care" for the film True Crime. In 2001, she wrote "Drowning" for the American boyband Backstreet Boys. In 2011, Thompson, Foster and Jackie Evancho collaborated on the title track for Evancho's album Dream With Me. Thompson and Foster received the 2003 Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for "Aren't They All Our Children" for "The Concert for World Children's Day", which aired November 14, 2002.2003 Emmy Award, emmys.com; accessed March 25, 2015. Author A Little Thing Called Life: From Elvis's Graceland to Bruce Jenner's Caitlyn & Songs in Between Hardcover – May 3, 2016 Personal life On July 6, 1972, Thompson attended a private movie screening hosted by Elvis Presley at the Memphian Theater in Memphis. She and Elvis hit it off and subsequently dated for 4 years before breaking up around Christmas 1976. They broke up because she wanted a "normal" life which was not possible with Elvis. However, they broke up on good terms and remained good friends until Elvis' death. In 1980, Thompson began a relationship with former Olympic Gold Medal decathlete Bruce Jenner (now known as Caitlyn Jenner). The couple married on January 5, 1981 in Oahu, Hawaii. They have two sons together, Brandon and Sam Brody, known as Brody. The couple separated in 1986 and divorced thereafter. On June 22, 1991, Thompson married Canadian composer and record producer David Foster; they divorced in 2005. Honors and awards Thompson won a BMI Film & TV Award in 1994 for Most Performed Song from a Film ("I Have Nothing"), composed by Thompson and David Foster for the soundtrack for The Bodyguard. She shared Special Recognition Awards in 1997 and 2004 with several others for work related to the Olympics, including lyrics for the official 1996 Olympic theme song, "The Power of the Dream", sung by Celine Dion. References Category:Linda Thompson (actress) Category:1950 births Category:Living people Category:Actresses from Tennessee Category:American film actresses Category:American television actresses Category:Emmy Award winners Category:Jenner family Category:Miss Tennessee USA winners Category:Miss USA 1970s delegates Category:Songwriters from Tennessee Category:University of Memphis alumni Category:Writers from Memphis, Tennessee Category:Walter Afanasieff Category:David Buckley Category:Babyface (musician) Category:James Newton Howard Category:Carole Bayer Sager Category:Michael Kamen Category:David Foster Category:Marvin Hamlisch Category:Barbra Streisand Category:Rena Strober Category:William Ross Category:Giorgio Moroder Category:Evan Rachel Wood Category:Elmer Bernstein Category:Peter Bernstein (composer) Category:Emilie A. Bernstein